Spectacles frame

ABSTRACT

The spectacles with two lenses ( 1, 2 ) has at least one resting surface ( 6 ) for the nose of a spectacles wearer, two supporting elements ( 7, 8 ), which are laterally arranged on the spectacle lenses ( 1, 2 ) and whose length is measured such that they do not project beyond the temples of the spectacles wearer. The supporting elements ( 7, 8 ) comprise resting elements ( 16, 17 ) on their sides facing the head of the spectacles wearer. A hinge ( 11 ) is arranged between the lenses ( 1, 2 ), whereby the spectacles can be placed in a non-use position in which the spectacle lenses ( 1, 2 ) are essentially arranged one above the other and can be unfolded into a position for wearing. The supporting elements ( 7, 8 ) form a fixed angle with the respective adjacent lens ( 1, 2 ). A spring element ( 15 ) is arranged in the area of the hinge ( 11 ), the spring element ( 15 ) pressing the supporting elements ( 7, 8 ) against the temple region of the spectacles wearer in the area of the resting elements ( 16, 17 ) so that the supporting elements ( 7, 8 ) are held on the head of the spectacles wearer in a non-positive manner.

The invention relates to spectacles with at least one lens, at least oneresting surface for the nose of a spectacles wearer and two laterallyarranged, pivotal supporting elements.

Different types of spectacles are known. They consist of a framegenerally provided with side pieces hooking behind the ears and made ofmetal and/or plastic and of two lenses which are joined together by afitting or by mounts. In the case of spectacles having a fitting, thelenses are fitted in the triangular groove provided for in the rims ofsaid fitting. Said rims are joined together by a bar in the case of barglasses or by a bridge which is not resting on the nose in the case ofglasses with nose pads, said nose pads resting laterally on the nose andbeing movable. Bar glasses have been previously proposed in which thelenses are made in one piece, the bar being formed by a bight portion ofthe lens in the region of the nose.

The side pieces resting on the ears are pivotally fastened to thefitting's rims by means of hinges.

On rimless glasses, the lenses are pierced at the points of junction ofthe bridge and of the side pieces and are held in place there by meansof one clip and one screw each.

There have been various attempts at improving the wearing comfort ofspectacles by configuring the frame in a particular way. EP 0 825 475 A1for example discloses eyeglasses with pivotally carried side pieces andwith a spring mechanism which allows the side pieces when being used topivot from a normal, open position in opposite directions against theforce of the spring. This enables a wearer of glasses to take theglasses off the head with a lateral movement instead of always having totake them off the head in the direction of the field of vision.

All these glasses have in common that the side pieces hooking behind theears may sometimes disturb and more specifically occasion pressure soresor irritations of the skin. Nose pad spectacles without side pieces butwith a resiliently compressing bridge are known as pince-nez. Theseglasses are only held in place over the nose. The spring forces therebyacting on the nose are high so that pressure sores may occur, thusexacerbating discomfort.

It is an object of the present invention to design spectacles which donot have the disadvantages indicated herein above.

The solution of this object is to provide the spectacles of theinvention with two lenses, at least one resting surface for the nose ofa spectacles wearer, two supporting elements laterally arranged on thelenses, a hinge arranged between the lenses as well as with an elasticelement arranged in the area of said hinge. On account of said hinge,the spectacles are provided with a wearing position and with a non-useposition in which the lenses are substantially lying over each other.

The supporting elements each form a fixed angle with the respectiveadjacent lens, said angle preferably ranging from 60° to 120°. Thelength of the supporting elements is measured such that, when worn, saidsupporting elements do not project beyond the temples of the spectacleswearer. On their sides facing the head of the wearer, the restingelements are provided with resting elements. The spring element arrangedbetween the lenses presses the supporting elements against the templesof the wearer in the area of the resting elements so that the supportingelements are held on the head of the spectacles wearer in a non-positivemanner. A particularly secure holdfast of the spectacles is generallyachieved by the frictional connection between the resting elements andthe temples of the wearer, and between the resting surface and the noseof the wearer.

The holdfast of the spectacles according to the invention which resultsfrom the force exerted by the spring element onto the temples of thewearer is reinforced when the laterally arranged supporting elements areas rigid as possible, in particular when they are provided with thesmallest possible flexibility. This may for example be achieved bymetallic supporting elements having an appropriate cross section. Acomparable effect may also be achieved by means of an appropriatesynthetic material, in particular by means of a fibre-reinforcedsynthetic material. A particularly advantageous effect is obtained whenthe hinge and the spring element are combined in one component part,this one component part effecting as a hinge and as a spring as well.Such an element may for example be realized by means of a bar thatunites the lenses, in particular by means of a nose piece consisting ofan elastically deformable metal.

The spring element can also be made of an elastically deformablesynthetic material. It is more specifically possible to realize such acomponent part that effects as a hinge and as a spring as well.

A particularly advantageous effect is obtained, when the material chosenfor the spring element is a synthetic material that is elasticallydeformable and that is provided with a high inner buffering capacity sothat the elastic element deforms quite fast under the action of externalforces and that the spring element returns quite slowly to its initialposition when no longer under the action of external forces. It isparticularly advantageous when the return movement of the spring elementtakes five seconds, preferably 15 seconds.

The resting elements may be spring elements of a substantially sphericalshape which are more specifically arranged at the ends of the supportingelements. The use of such resting elements permits to achieve aparticularly close fit of the glasses when the length of the supportingelements is selected so as to allow the spherical resting elements to beapproximately positioned in the area where the arch of the eyebrowterminates on the temple side of the wearer when the glasses are sittingon the nose of a spectacles wearer.

A particularly secure fit of the resting elements on the temple-sidedarch ends of the wearer's eyebrows may be achieved even withoutspherical resting elements by choosing the right length for thesupporting elements as well as by the position of the resting elementsfastened by their inner sides. This may more specifically be achievedwhen the supporting elements are between 1.5 cm and 4.5 cm long.

In another advantageous embodiment the rotational axis of the hinge,which is arranged between the lenses, is inclined to that straight linepassing through the two highest points of the lenses at an angle of lessthan 90°, preferably less than 80°, in particular less than 70°. It isparticularly advantageous when the axis of rotation of the hingesubstantially runs in the plane which is defined by the lenses or in aplane running parallel thereto. Such an orientation of the axis ofrotation of the hinge entails that, in the non-use position which ischaracterized by overlying lenses, the supporting elements of thespectacles are not directly lying over each other but rather beside eachother. By selecting the proper angle of the axis of rotation withrespect to the straight line mentioned, it may be achieved that thesupporting elements come to lie completely beside each other in thenon-use position.

It is also advantageous when the spectacles are locked when in thenon-use position mentioned. This may be achieved by non-positive orpositive interlocking of the supporting elements and/or the restingelements. It is therefore particularly favorable when the spectacles aredesigned with the rotational axis of the hinge being non-verticallyarranged with respect to the straight line passing through the twohighest points of the lenses.

Another advantageous development is achieved when the spectacles areprovided with at least one spring element which presses the supportingelements against the head of the spectacles wearer so that thesupporting elements are held on the head of the spectacles wearer in anon-positive manner. Spectacles of this kind do not need a side piece.It is enough when the supporting elements cover one portion of thetemples of the spectacles wearer. In this area, the supporting elementsare fixed by the pressure applied by the spring element so that thespectacles resting on the nose are sufficiently secured against slippingout of place. Since, as compared to the resting surface on pince-nez,the surface of the supporting elements which rests on the head is large,pressure sores may be essentially avoided. In a preferred embodiment,the spectacles are provided with two lenses united by way of the springelement. The spring element may consist of a spring side piece made ofsynthetic material for example, the lenses lying side by side in anon-use position and wherein said lenses may be unfolded against theforce of a spring. The spring element used may be a flat spiral spring,the ends thereof being connected by way of jointed bridges to one lenseach.

The supporting elements may thereby be arranged on the lenses in such away that they may be pivoted, starting from a position in which they areessentially parallel to the lenses, into a position which allows thespectacles wearer to put on his glasses. These spectacles areparticularly small when folded since the lenses are lying over eachother and since the folded supporting elements hardly—if at all—projectbeyond the rim of the lenses.

The supporting elements may also be rigidly connected to the lenseshowever, in which case they are pivotal in conjunction with the lenses.

In another design of this embodiment, the lenses are joined together bytwo bridges, the spring element being arranged between the bridges andeach bridge being provided with an arm of a lever in the area of thespring element, the lever arms being set at an angle when the spectaclesare folded and abutting when the spectacles are unfolded. The lever armsmay be used to unfold the spectacles by pressing them onto each otheragainst the force of the spring.

The spring element may be designed as a spiral spring whose ends areconnected to the lever arms.

In another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the supportingelements are connected to the lens by way of spring elements. Theadvantage thereof is that the bridge over the nose may be freelyfashioned without having to think of a spring element.

It is advantageous when the surfaces of the supporting elements facingthe head of the wearer are provided with an elastic top surface. Theshape of the supporting element may thus conform to the shape of thehead so that the contact surfaces between the supporting element and thehead are as large as possible thus allowing the frictional forces to beas high as possible. Such an elastic top surface may be formed by a gelpad.

To increase the frictional forces it is also advantageous when thesurfaces of the supporting elements facing the head of the wearer areprovided with a top surface having a high coefficient of friction.Accordingly, the top surface may be made of a neoprene-like material.

The invention will be described more explicitly in the following withthe help of the representation of a preferred embodiment.

FIG. 1 shows a front view of a first embodiment,

FIG. 2 shows a top view of the first embodiment,

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged rear view of the bridge of said firstembodiment,

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged rear view of the bridge of a second embodiment,

FIG. 5 shows an enlarged rear view of the bridge of said secondembodiment when the spectacles are placed in a non-use position,

FIG. 6 shows a front view of a third embodiment,

FIG. 7 shows a top view of said third embodiment,

FIG. 8 shows a front view of a fourth embodiment,

FIG. 9 shows a top view of spectacles according to the invention placedin a non-use position.

As more specifically shown in FIG. 1, the depicted embodiment of thespectacles according to the invention is provided with a first and asecond lens 1, 2 which are fitted in bows 3, 4, said bows being joinedtogether by way of a nose piece 5 having a resting surface 6 for thenose of a spectacles wearer. Supporting elements 7, 8 are rigidlyconnected to the external sides of the bows.

The nose piece 5 is provided with two bridges 9, 10 which form a ridgeand which are pivotally joined together by way of a hinge 11 fitted withan axis 12 as shown in FIG. 2. In the region of the hinge 11, thebridges are fitted with lever arms 13, 14 which are running at rightangles to their longitudinal axis.

A spiral spring 15 is arranged about the axis 12 of the hinge 11 (seeFIG. 3), the free ends of said spiral spring each engaging in one leverarm 13, 14 (not shown). As a result, the lever arms 13, 14, which areabutting when the spectacles are unfolded, are pressed apart so that thelenses 3, 4 and accordingly the supporting elements 7, 8 are pivotedtoward each other about the hinge axis 12. When the spectacles are worn,the supporting elements 7, 8 are thus pressed against the head of thespectacles wearer and fixated. More specifically, the elastic sphericalresting elements 16, 17 are pressed against the head of the wearer.

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of a nose piece 5 of another embodiment.The spectacles are placed in their position of use. A recess is providedin the first bridge 9, a pin of a second bridge 10 engaging in saidrecess. This pin is rotatably carried in the recess of the first bridge9 by means of an axis 12. This is the way the hinge 11 is formed. Theangle of rotation of the hinge 11 is limited by a surface on the rearside of the recess in the first bridge 9, said surface constituting astop face against which the pin of the second bridge 10 strikes. This isalso evident from FIG. 5 which shows the nose piece of this embodimentin the non-use position of the spectacles. Here, the second bridge 10 ispivoted about the axis 12 of the hinge 11 toward the first bridge 9. Thesurface constituting a stop face thus becomes visible. Said surface iscovered with a spring element 15 which elastically deforms when thespectacles are placed in their position of use. On account of theresilience of the spring element 15, said spring element causes thesupporting elements and in particular the resting elements 16, 17 toapply pressure on the temples of a spectacles wearer. When thespectacles are taken off, they are returned to their non-use positionunder the readjusting action of the spring element.

Such a spring element may be manufactured from a foam-like syntheticmaterial of the firm 3M for example as it is known to be used forfabricating earplugs for inserting into the human auditory canal. Such asynthetic material is very elastic and may be compressed strongly.Whenever external forces are no longer applied, the synthetic materialrelaxes into its initial position, said relaxation occurring slowly onaccount of the strong inner buffering capacity of the syntheticmaterial, in particular over a period of time of more than five,preferably of more than 15 seconds.

A third embodiment is shown in FIG. 6. This one essentially includesanother execution of the hinge 11 and of the spring element 15. Bothelements are combined into one component part 19. In this embodiment,the component part consists of a portion made of synthetic material orof metal and arranged between the partial bridges 9 and 10 in the nosepiece 5. This component part combines the hinge effect of the hinge 11with the spring effect of the spring element 15. It is provided with aresting position for example, as it is best shown from the top in FIG.7. When spectacles in accordance with this embodiment are put on by aspectacles wearer, the distance between the resting surfaces 18increases, thus allowing the component part 19 to be elasticallydeformed. A readjusting force is thus generated which fixes the restingsurfaces 18 and hence the supporting elements 7 and 8 in a secure andnon-positive manner to the temples of the spectacles wearer.

In another advantageous embodiment, the element 19 may be much moreangled so that the spectacles are placed in non-use position, which ischaracterized by substantially overlying lenses 1, 2, when the componentpart 19 is in its initial position. Comparable achievements are possiblewith other spring elements 15 and hinges 11, of course. The non-useposition of spectacles having a hinge 11 and a separate spring element15 can be surveyed from FIG. 9.

In an advantageous development, the spectacles are fixed in the non-useposition in particular by interlocking the supporting elements 7, 8and/or the resting elements 16, 17 in a positive or non-positive manner.This may be achieved in particular by setting the axis of rotation ofthe hinge 11 at an angle of less than 90°, preferably less than 80°, inparticular less than 70° with respect to the straight line passingthrough the two highest points 20 of the lenses 1 and 2. This is shownin FIG. 8. When the hinge 15 is executed in this way, the non-useposition of the spectacles is characterized in that the lenses 1, 2 arenot fully superposed. The supporting elements 7, 8 in particular are notsuperposed. By selecting the proper angle □, it may be achieved that thesupporting elements 7, 8 lie side by side. In so doing, the supportingelements 7, 8 and/or the resting elements 16, 17 can be brought tointerlock in a positive or non-positive manner without any furthermeasure, thus fixating the spectacles in the non-use position.Furthermore, additional shapes may be provided on the supportingelements 7, 8 and/or on the resting elements 16, 17, said shapesinterlocking preferably in a positive manner when the spectacles areplaced in their non-use position.

Increased wearing comfort and particularly secure fitting is obtainedwhen the resting elements 16, 17 rest on the temple-sided ends of thearches of the eyebrows, when the spectacles are worn by a spectacleswearer. In this region, the anatomy of the human skull is provided withdepressions in which spherical resting elements 16, 17 in particularfind a particularly secure fit. On account of the thus resultingadditional positive locking, the pressing force applied by the springelement 15 may be kept particularly low, thus increasing wearingcomfort.

Further advantages derive from spectacles with at least one lens 1, 2,at least one resting surface 6 for the nose of a spectacles wearer andtwo laterally arranged, pivotal supporting elements 7, 8, the spectaclesbeing provided with at least one spring element, which presses thesupporting elements 7, 8 against the head of the spectacles wearer sothat the supporting elements 7, 8 are held on the head of the spectacleswearer in a non-positive manner. More specifically, two lenses 1, 2 maybe joined together by way of the spring element.

Further advantages can be obtained when the lenses 1, 2 are joinedtogether by way of two bridges 9, 10, the spring element being arrangedbetween the bridges 9, 10 and each bridge 9, 10 being provided in thearea of the spring element with an arm of a lever 13, 14, wherein thelever arms 13, 14 are set at angles when the spectacles are folded andare abutting when the spectacles are unfolded. In this embodiment, thespring element is advantageously realized by means of a spiral spring15, whose ends are connected to the lever arms 13, 14.

An advantageous effect may also be obtained by having the supportingelements 7, 8 connected to the lens or lenses 1, 2 by way of springelements.

It provides benefits in all embodiments when the surfaces of thesupporting elements 7, 8 facing the head of the spectacles wearer areprovided with an elastic top surface. The elastic top surface may inparticular take the form of a gel pad. It is generally an advantage tohave the surfaces of the supporting elements 7, 8 facing the head of thespectacles wearer provided with a top surface having a high coefficientof friction. This may be realized by a top surface made of aneoprene-like material for example.

What is claimed is:
 1. Spectacles with two lenses fitted in bows,comprising: at least one resting surface arranged between the lenses,wherein the surface is adapted for the nose of a spectacles wearer; twosupporting elements laterally arranged on the lenses, wherein thesupporting elements comprise sides facing the head of the spectacleswearer and resting elements arranged on end areas of the sides facingthe head of the spectacles wearer; and a hinge having a definitive axis,wherein said hinge is arranged between the lenses, whereby thespectacles can be placed in a non-use position in which the spectaclesare folded, and the lenses are arranged substantially one above theother and can be placed in an unfolded position for wearing in which thesupporting elements rest against the head of the wearer; a springelement arranged between the lenses in the area of the hinge, the springelement pressing the supporting elements against the temple region ofthe spectacles wearer in the area of the resting elements so that thespectacles are held on the head of the spectacles wearer; wherein eachsupporting element is rigidly connected to one of the bows such that thesupporting elements form a fixed angle with the respective adjacent lensof between approximately 60° and 120°, wherein the length of thesupporting elements is measured such that they do not project beyond thetemples of the spectacles wearer, wherein the supporting elements areprovided with the least possible elastic deformability, so that theelastic force resulting from the spring element is almost completelyacting on the temples of the spectacles wearer, and wherein in thenon-use position the lenses directly oppose each other.
 2. Spectaclesaccording to claim 1, wherein the spring element is made of a syntheticmaterial which is elastically deformable.
 3. Spectacles according toclaim 1, wherein the elastic resilient movement of the spring elementfrom the position for wearing to the non-use position takes at least 5seconds, wherein the hinge and the spring element are combined in onecomponent part which is provided with the hinge effect of the hinge aswell as with the spring effect of the spring element.
 4. Spectaclesaccording to claim 1, wherein the resting elements are formed byelastic, substantially spherical elements which are arranged on the endsof the supporting elements.
 5. Spectacles according to claim 1, whereinthe axis of rotation of the hinge is inclined to a straight line passingthrough the two highest points of the lenses at an angle of less than90°.
 6. Spectacles according to claim 1, further comprising a lockingmeans, wherein the spectacles are locked when they are placed in thenon-use position.
 7. Spectacles according to claim 1, wherein the lengthof the supporting elements and the position of the resting elements areselected to allow the resting elements to fit on the temple-sided endsof the arches of the eyebrows.